Mice

Mice, Rodents, Vermin Control – Worksop, Retford, Mansfield, Hull

Mice: when living in close proximity to man can cause considerable problems. Many people are afraid of mice and with their capacity to cause damage & carry disease they have good reason. Mice breed extremely quickly, what starts off as a small infestation can quickly spread throughout the premises, causing damage and posing a fire risk from potential damage to wiring by their constant gnawing.

House Mouse (Mus domesticus)

The mouse has said to have originated from the Steppes of Central Asia and has been reported as early as the 9th century but has not been proven. When man improved his harvests and started to store food stuff in storage facilities this provided more food and nest sites for Mice and Rats.

Appearance: The House Mouse has brown to grey hair with a lighter underside they have large ears with small eyes their tail is slightly less then their body length and a fully grown adult weighs upto 10 - 25 grams.

Life cycle: A young female mouse can start producing offspring from 12 weeks old and will have litter sizes of 5-6 young. Unlike other mammals they do not have to wait for their litter to be weaned off . Before becoming pregnant again if the conditions are right the female mouse can be willing to mate straight after giving birth to a litter. They can give birth every 28 days in the right conditions and breed all year round which can lead to a very quick rise in populations.

Signs of Presence:

Sightings: The sight of a Mouse especially during the day is a sure sign of a infestation but it is not a reliable indicator of the size of the infestation.

Smell: Mice like Rats produce a unique tell tale smell (stale Odours) which can be smelt in undisturbed indoor areas once the infestation has been there for a while.

Droppings: Mice droppings are on average 3-7 mm long and are often spindle shaped when fresh, they appear soft and shiny but then become hard and dull as they dry out. They can be found in corners of rooms tops of walls and in between packaging.

Damage to goods and structure: The first clear sign of a infestation is the discovery of partially eaten, damaged packaging materials and recent gnawing of other objects like electric cables and plugs.

Urine Pillars:Small mounds of dirt, dust, grease, urine which are called urine pillars are found in long established infestations.